Gwyn Ballard: Abused at the Hospital for Special Care,New Britain CT.

2007-05-15T19:02:00.000-07:00

Life is not so good at the Hospital For Special Care GWYN BALLARD AT THE HOSPITAL FOR SPECIAL CARE
April, 2007

The right eye remains chronically inflammed and has not been treated to relieve the dystonia, drain the lacyrimal duct or counter the infections

which appear to be chronic and persistant and share features of resistant staphlococcus (?MRSA). Gwyn has become septic from other neglected infections while hospitalized at HSC and at Yale NICU.

Paul J Scalise, the pulmonologist in charge has neglected other patients at HSC and has come under sanction of the Connecticut State Board of Medical Examiners.

Speech is not encouraged, No dystonia tratment or computer augmented communication
Dr. Gwyn Ballard, A dispossessed patient with neurological injury, inept legal representation and poorly orchestrated medical care has been severed from ties with his family.

(courtesy of Hamden Probate Judge Salvatore Diglio and his acolyte,Amerigo Carchia,the medical conservator, and the sanctioned HSC physician Paul Scalise, MD and internist Dr. Yoon MD) .

In order to understand how Gwyn Ballard was abused and received far less that the standard of care both at the prestigious Yale University Neurosurgical Unit and then at the New Britain nursing home known ironically as the "Hospital for Special Care" is a sobering study in the dynamics of neurologically injured patient and a medical- legal interface system that operates to maintain the status quo, supress dissenting medical opinions and subdue argument on behalf of the neurologically injured person. This is precisely what happen to Dr. Stephen Gwyn Ballard who is a victim of the cabal of medically incompetent legal representatives who decided his medical placement with lower echelon medical caregivers.

These rogue lawyers, judges and physicians practice without the neurological training, or the ethics, or the compassion to refer this injured patient to an appropriate facility for his care. A majority of the legal community and even some of the medical community (shockingly ) are completely ignorant of the varieties of brain injury, the temporality of delerium, and the striking negative effect that depression has on neurological recovery. Thus, un-schooled, elected judges appoint lower echelon lawyers with below passing educational credentials (especially in the Neurosciences) to delimit and direct care for which they are of meretricious judgement. But life, liberty and the process of healing are neither meretricious or trivial but require a carefully orchestrated union of care that interfaces the patient, his family and the doctor as integrator of medical treatment. Nowhere is the possibility for recovery and improvement of quality of life greater than in those illnesses that involve injury of the nervous system for which care has advanced light years in the last decade especially with the availability of treatment options for the traumatic brain injury from which Gwyn Ballard suffers..

These probate judges and their lawyer famiglios are in truth criminally negligent for the life situations that they delimit, the social injustice that they perpetrate and subsequent harm that is produced to a patient whose survival and quality of life depend on the proper treatment and social network that is created early on in the recovery process. Dr. Stephen Gwyn Ballard was deprived all of this and his life in fact was nearly terminated by the partisan, cruelly ignorant, Yale biased decisions dictated by Hamden, Connecticut probate judge Salvatore Diglio.

The curse of this ignoble probate judge and the "medical conservator" lawyer Carchia whose careless ethic, inherent ignorance, and deep seated neglect of his client have strictly delimited the circumstance of the recovery of Dr. Stephen Gwyn Ballard. It is the view of our advocacy that the medical rights and the civil rights of Stephen Ballard have been violated with prejudice and that a legal remedy must be pursued to adjudicate the criminal negligence as well as the civil responsibility that these rouge officials bear to this helpless patient and his children.

Stephen Gwyn Ballard, post coma November, 2005

The Promise and Intent of Recovery: Gwyn Ballard, November 2005

The decline of this patient was caused violation of his civil rights by a probate judge in Hamden and his Yale appointed legal cronies for the benefit of Yale entities including the Neurosurgical Team whose the malpractice defense ONLY priority in the management of this brain injured patient whose outcome has been devastated by sheer medical neglect both accidental and designed.

The deliberate hiding of gross medical malpractice by the Yale Neurosurgical Physician Attending and the and the unethical interference of their counsel with the care of Stephen Gwyn Ballard, by Penney Seaman J.D. and the odious Stuart Warner J.D. can be reviewd in a previous post at this site. Further ,the collaboration of Yale legal counsel Ms. Stuart Warner who argued vigorously to terminate (murder) Dr. Gwyn Ballard as he emerged from a coma is horrifying . Thru the efforts of Stuart Warner and John Strugar MD, the denial of essential medical care to promote recovery was perpetuated at Yale for more than 9 (nine) months and referrals to more competent care at both Harvard and John's Hopkins were refused . The review of Gwyn's medical records were and have been continuously supressed by both Yale and the Hospital for Special Care.

These unethical actions were done with the full cooperation of Yale's Chief of Staff Herbert, MD and his underlings who contacted the Hamden Probate Court subrosa and attemted to exclude Dr. Ballard's adult children from seeking opinions and care for him outside (of Yale) . Both, Yale and the "Hospital of Special Care" under the cover provided them by Salvatore Diglio and his henchman, the Conservator Americo Carchia have engineered the decline and slow murder of a patient who is sentient and capable of recovery to some quality of life.

With daughter Mary in November, 2005 after after Yale failed to prevail in their attempts to withdraw life support from him.

Yale neurosurgeon John Strugar MD had delayed many supportive and medically essential treatments from the patient, because he desired that the patient would quickly die. With, the untimely death of Stephen Ballard, Strugar's inepitude with medical management would be hidden. In the September 8, 2005 probate hearing, Strugar testified falsely that Gwyn Ballard would never have any intellectual life and would never read. At this Yale dominated meeting, the Honorable Salvatore Diglio refused to hear counter testimony from the family that Gwyn Ballard who resided in a bed down the corridor a few hundred feet from the probate hearing was in fact reading words of multi-syllables, paragraphs with comprehension and performing simple calculations. This infamous hearing was also remarkable for the other questionable evidence that Diglio admitted into evidence including an unsigned poem, "Free Will" that was proffered by a Yale Professor manque [sic Clifford Slayman, Physiology ] as evidence for Gwyn Ballard's wish to die. Slayman, an interested party, was allowed to speak as a Yale toady. Slayman alleged close ties to Gwyn Ballard and was permiited payments from the Yale Probate court from Gwyn's . Slayman had taken the initiative with Gwyn's accident and medical catastrophe to enter into the Ballard family home with probate approval, steal both the gallies of a book that Ballard had written " An American Way of Death" and the scientific drawings and plans for medical patents Gwyn had developed. He inveigled the probate court to pay him $787 in expenses even as Ballard's mortgage and child support obligations went unpaid In a particularly ignoble and malevolent action, Slayman took Gwyn Ballard's lap top computer after the accident , and transferred all personal and professional files from Ballard's computer then deleted the files from the from the computer memory so no access to critical fiscal and scientific information was possible.This action which occurred on June 26,2005 did not become apparent until after November 2005, caused chaos in the determination of Ballard's estate and has hurt his children as well by delaying their SSI benefits and also thru the lossof many scientific and personal documents that Slayman stole and Ballard's children have not yet been able to access. Slayman's tainted testimony at the probate hearing of September 8, 2005 to advocate for the death of a recovering Gwyn Ballard was an unprovked act of evil and sociopathy bereft of conscience. This aged professor manque, unable to obtain funding grants and with a laboratory that has funneled into oblivion, opportunistically stole an the injured man's work. In a disgusting act of scientific vampirism , Clifford Slayman, Yale professor of physiology advocated the medical euthanasia of Gwyn Ballard with a calculated plan to steal Ballard's patents and the contents of his recently finished book. Neurosurgeon, John Strugar's motivations for advocating withdrawal of life support were also self motivated. His recommendations were designed to protect himself from malpractice litigation directed towards his inappropriate use of beta blockers, his failure to cover a patient with hemodynamic instability with apropriate pressor and pacer support. John Strugar MD made the calculated decision to terminate the life of his patient rather than to reconsile the medical errors that had been made and to support the healing process. Strugar impeded a diagnostic workup and eschewed therapies that could have reversed the demyelinating process that he had caused Ballard. While doctors are supposed to help their patients get better to the best of their ability, this was not the intention of John Strugar MD in his care plan for Stephen Ballard. Instead, neurosurgeon Strugar chose to limit care and allege "brain death" when no criteria as such existed in Gwyn Ballard's clinical circumstance. John Strugar MD advocated for Gwyn Ballard's death under false premesis and uncertain conclusions to protect himself from malpractce action. He also refused and ignored entreaties from the patients family to consult with physicians other than himself. Gwyn Ballard was denied a second opinion as Strugar propagated the Yale vendetta to withdraw life support from a patient that he himself had injured.

Gwyn's family were constantly with him after May 25,2005 during the first Yale hospitalization thru March 29,2006 as he remained though clinically stable, entirely in the Neurological Intensive Care Unit. Throughout this time, he was however refused consultation outside of Yale and and pleas for essential ENT, Speech and modern Neurological rehabiltation were ignored. This was a critical time in his recovery and even though Dr. Ballard was clinically stable., he was denied these services. (see previous post). At Yale Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit and later at the "Hospital For Special Care" all of his patient rights were violated.

Gwyn, in July 2005, returned to Yale Coronary Care unit from Special Care and New Britain General after he developed, under the care of Scalise and internist associate, Dr. Yoon, both sacral and cranial decubitus ulcers that eventually became superinfected and progressed to sepsis in the blood. He also had a pacer abnormality that was not treated at HSC and New Britain. His family, despite their significant medical sophistication and commitment were never apprised of his condition or allowed to give Gwyn access to a higher level of care. They were repeatedly ignored in their efforts by Paul J Scalise and his subordinate YOON and letters on the behalf of Gwyn Ballard to the administration of HSC were ignored.

The negligence that Gwyn Ballard, experienced while under the care of Scalise, Director of Pulmonary Medicine at the New Britain Nursing home is strikingly similar to the negligence that Scalise perpetrated on another patient and for which he was sanctioned by the Board of Medical Examiners in Connecticut. (Reference the listing at the Connecticut Department of Public Health, in the physician profile for Paul J. Scalise, MD. )http://www.physicians.dph.state.ct.us/web_public/web_public.show

This link can be followed to License Number:001-31674; under petition No. 2001-0724-0010106 : see below

Paul J Scalise had recently completed a medical parole period following the death of a patient under his care atHSC of Pseudomonal sepsis. This supervisiory action was demanded by the CT Board of Medical Examiners. (see above and below for copy, pages 1 and 2 of the registered complaint against Scalise)

The Ballard family was not given choice or advisement of Scalise's professional and personal deficiencies. Thus, Gwyn Ballard fell into a care situation without any Neurological rehabilitation or assisted communication with care delievered at the hands of a doctor who was inappropriate and board sanctioned. He was at an institution in the middle of a crime ridden community distant from his family. We see this lack of contact with his family and poor medical care and communication with them as producing serous negative effects on the present progress of Dr Stephen Ballard to recover. It is obvious that with the state of medical knowledge in 2005- present that these omissions were deliberate, neglectful and designed to terminate the life of Dr. Steven Gwyn Ballard slowly and with a maximal degree of suffering. The circumstance of Gwyn Ballard's condition at HSC is due to the legal malfeasanceof Amerigo Carchia who has fostered a divorcement of Gwyn Ballard from his family by his failre to communicate with them. Also, Carchia submitted BAllard him to inadequate and perilous medical care situation by leaving him under the care supervision of a board sanctioned pulmonary medicine practicioner Paul J Scalise MD. Scalise, whose prior neglect citations and lack of neurologic training do not render him appropriate or medically qualified to care for a patient with brain stem demyelination needing neurological rehabilitation. Under Dr. Scalise's and Yoon's (his associate ) care. Gwyn has developed progressive dystonia, stopped speaking and has been unable to see his family on a regular basis or without interference.

HSC has subjected the family of Gwyn Ballard to physical abuse and mental harrassment when they have advocated for his care. HSC has allowed a security guard, Marino to enter Gwyn Ballard's room and harass his children and his advocate friends as they attempted to nuture and support him. The policy of HSC security has lead to the arrest and imprisionment of Ballard's family member and advocate. This abuse occured on Memorial Day May 28,2007 as the children were visiting their father and their mother waited in the parking lot for them. Because she has criticiized the poor care for him at HSC, as well as Amerigo Carchia's conservatorial negligence and documented the abuse that Ballard has endured, she has been proscribed from seeing her children's father, even as Gwyn has asked repeatedly for her to see him and help him. It is not an a hospital with special care that permits an untrained security guard to intrude on a patient or his family or wage a personal war against the enlightened family who advocate for patients rights, civil justice that applies to all (even those with disabilites), and demands the highest standard of care for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Gwyn Ballard has experienced a continued decline while at the hospital for special care : (Please not the sequential decrement in his appearance over the months that he has been interred at the "Hospital for Special Care" from March 2006 (with a two month hiatus where he required more care beyond the limited treatment capacity of that facility) thru the present May-June, 2007.

1. Gwyn, July,2006 Yale CCU, able to express himself

He was still able to speak with effort against the laryngeal dystonia. No speech and ENT (Otolaryngology) servicies were provided to his maintain speech, examine his vocal cord and treat the emerging dystonia preventatively.

Transfer (again) to the Hospital For "Special Care", August 2006

Improper cohorting (room sharing) with an adolescent patient with neuromuscular disease who paraded this inapproapriate tee shirt logo in view each day of Gwyn's bed further depressed and weakened his strong will. " Quadfather" is a tee shirt logo that personifies the hopeless envirionment of the Hospital for Special Care.

2. Psychological Abuse and discrimination at the Hospital for Soecial Care

3. Decubitus Foot Ulcer form lack of proper positioning and protection.
Hospital Special Care April,2007

April, 2007, HSC, The right eye is swollen shut, purulent drainage.

Gwyn can no longer use his right eye because the prolonged neglect of his generalized and cervical-facial dystonia has worsened. Dystonia and blepharospasm are present, and Gwyn cannot open his right eye which is painful and swollen, (Family efforts to get treatment of the eye inflammation and infection have been ignored for months (circa Nov-2006 to present)

Facial dystonia, blepharospasm and chronic eye infections in combination with probable lacrymal duct stenosis are apparent. A vicious cycle producing more dystonia with the compounded inflammation has ensued. Without teatment this will lead to functional loss of binocular vision and then visual inattention. The family puchased prescription glasses for Gwyn to encourage his sight. HSC NEVER places them on Gwyn or provides any visual therapy for him to read or to use his eyes to drive a compter cursor.

The eyelid apraxia from the dystonia has caused a loss of binocular vision along with the untreated laryngeal adductor dystonia and facial contortions so Gwyn Ballard is "locked in." The pulmonary service at the Hospital for Special Care (like their negligent Yale Neurosurgical Counterparts) have also not treated laryngeal dystonia nor set up proper talking trach dynamic and now Gwyn can not speak audibly. His vocal cords and face and neck have figuratively turned to stone. Dr. Yoon's recent placement (June 14,2007) of a "talking trach" is useless -too little too late because the dystonia is now so and advanced that Gwyn cannot use his cords to make sound. Scalise and Yoon's failure to treat this common complication of high spinal cord injury has resulted in a serios loss of function and increased pain and suffering for Gwyn Ballard and his children. A physician neurologist who has treated these patients will verify that this complication was avoidable and treatable but for the incompetent and neglectful care situation provided for Ballard at the "Hospital for Special Care". The dystonia that Ballard now suffers is extremly uncomfortable and limits his recovery.

HE IS DEPRIVED OF VISION AND SPEECH DUE TO AN IATROGENICALLY CONTRIVED SEQUENCE OF NEGLECT.

He can no longer converse freely with his family or use his eye() without pain. His depression is much worse and that too limits neurological outcome.

Present Condition:April 2007,Special Care

Above is the result of a spiraling downfall that was initiated by the conservator, the poor care at the Hospital for Special Care, and the isolation by decree from his family and advocacy.

Gwyn Ballard was found by family members, August 23, 2006 in this deplorable condition with congealed mucus and open sores over his face.

August 25,2006 close up of congealed mucousand facial sores.

Note the suffering born of constant neglect

Two weeks prior to this picture being taken Gwyn was found with
paronychia (granulomatous abcesses) of the nails and cracked, dry ,scaled skin of the feet and lower extremities were present. These were pointed out to a nurse (Jiminez) who called the security guard instead of a doctor. Despite the significant concerns of the family and attempts to provide simple interventions such rubbing emolient lotion to the skin, providing gentle massage and social interaction, the HSC responded instead wit ha security guard entering the room and harassing his advocate friend. Gwyn Ballard's condition worsened considerably over these months despite unheeded warnings to disengaged "caregivers" at the "Hospital for Special Care" whose response to obvious neglect of a patient is to have the complainant arrested and to continue to neglect and isolate the patient further.

4. Gwyn in Pain August 2006, Hospital for Special Care

The conditions that Gwyn Ballard and his children have suffered and continue to endure are the creations of unconscionable people. It is the purpose of this document to bring this heinous situation to public awareness and to focus scrutiny to demand judicial reprimand, redress and remedy by the agencies that supervise the activities of lawyers, probate courts, hospitals and physicians. All persons must be protected from such infamy, especially those who are infirm and their families who are fighting for their recovery. Confrontation with such flagrant abuse of power and ethical dissolution is so fundamentally wrong that it calls into question the very nature of democracy, justice and what might be cosidered common ethical restraint . The notion of a totalitarian judiciary operating outside the bonds of law in an unholy alliance with a medical monopoly is at once , terrifying and Kafkaesque.

When a medical machine such as Yale University School of Medicine can conspire with a mediocre probate non-entity to murder a patient or even define the tempo and limits of his recovery while they steal his resources and harass his family, then we no longer live in America. When a nursing home can continue with such flagrant abuses of a patient, such as what has occured at the "Hospital for Special Care" versus Stephen Gwyn Ballard Ph.D, it must be investigated and this patient should be removed to safety and proper care situation.

Mr. Amerigo Carchia and Mr. Salvatore Diglio have transformed the life of Dr. Stephen Gwyn Ballard and his children into a hellish world where justice and ethics have imploded along with hope, compassion, and knowledge. Along with the self servicing panel of Yale Medical and Legal Staff ), HSC physicians Scalise, Yoon, HSC Admnistration and Security (Marino) they have created a travesty of what medical care should be in this great state of Connecticut .

This situation has produced situation of enormous suffering, beyond that of Ballard's initial injury and is a complete, unconscionable abrogation of justice driven by the self interest of the parties involved. God help Gwyn Ballard.

The medical care of Dr. Stephen Gwyn Ballard must not be determined by Salvatore Diglio, a medically un-credentialed probate judge who has previous conviction of malfeasance*

*See Statewide Grievance Committee; Robert Buenger, Jr.,Complainant vs. Salvatore Diglio, Respondent; Grievance Complaint#95-1010

Gwyn Ballard must be released to receive medical treatment from caregivers of his choice, and the choice of his adult daughters Mary, Sarah and Victoria Ballard. He must be allowed to freely contact with his family and friends. Neurological Rehabilitation and improved quality of life are attainable goals once he is freed of the interference of Hamden Probate Court, unprincipled lawyers, and the marginally poor and misdirected care that he has received at the Hospital of Special Care, New Britain, CT. There is still hope for Gwyn, and his family knows where to obtain proper care and how to go about effecting what is best for his needs.

Please help free Gwyn Ballard.

NeuroAdvocate@hotmail.com

Abuse of Gwyn Ballard at the Hospital For Special Care

Gwyn Ballard: Abused at the Hospital for Special Care,New Britain CT.